White Hot: Miami Heat’s Unprecedented Resurgence

(Photo via Miami Heat Instagram)

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for the Miami Heat faithful.

The woes started when Chris Bosh was unfortunately revealed to have a blood clot condition that has indefinitely suspended his career during the 2015-2016 season. Heat limped to the playoffs, and faced off against a scary Charlotte Hornets squad in the First Round. Dwyane Wade showed us his vintage form, and left us in awe after willing his squad to a series win in seven. Then, heartbreak struck again, as the Heat stood helpless in a murder of a game 7 against the Toronto Raptors to just miss out on the Eastern Conference Championship birth.

It only grew worse—Bosh’s condition wasn’t getting any better. A conflict of interests between Bosh and the Heat strained the relationship, and now Bosh is good as gone from the squad. But it grows pale in comparison to a relationship imploded between the Miami Heat and Dwyane Wade, after he shockingly left the Miami-Wade County back to his home in Chicago. No one expected this to happen; I remember dismissing the very idea of Wade leaving the Heat, saying “There’s no way”. But it did. Wade’s relationship to the Heat looks almost irreparable.

Anyhow, after Wade’s departure, Pat Riley frantically built a rag-tag squad around All-Star caliber players in Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic by bringing back energy plug Tyler Johnson, signing Dion Waiters, Luke Babbit, James Johnson, Derrick Williams (who has since been waived), and Wayne Ellington, all of whom are established NBA journeymen, and calling up Rodney McGruder, Willie Reed, and Okaro White from the D-League. The public saw this team as a fringe-playoff team before the season began.

After 41 games, “playoffs” was a forgotten word in Miami; lottery was a sure-fire thing, and the top-draft pick was not far off their reach. They were a dismal 11-30, led by a dismal offense ranked nearly last in efficiency, averaging only 98.3 PPG, good for nearly dead last in the league. Justise Winslow, heralded as the future cornerstone of the franchise, sustained a season-ending injury, and that was only one of many injuries that were plaguing the Heat all throughout the first half of the season. Instead of looking to the playoffs, fans were arguing over Lonzo Ball, Jayson Tatum, and Josh Jackson as to whom to pick in this upcoming draft. Riley’s playoff magic seemed to have ran out.

But fast forward to present day, the Heat are 34-35, 8th in the Eastern Conference, and full 2 games ahead of the team that Dwyane Wade left for in search of a better chance at a championship. They are a remarkable 23-5, a monstrous stretch kicked off by a 13 game winning streak. This type of turnaround during midseason is unprecedented, almost unbelievable, a miracle, as some might say. Indeed, it seems like a miracle, but that image of a miracle is founded upon the very fundamental roots of what makes a winning team: health, efficient offense, and leaders.

Before we dive into the formula, it would be very unfair to neglect the impact that the mid-season callus have brought to the squad, namely Rodney McGruder, Willie Reed, and Okaro White. The day that Okaro White was called up was the day that started off the 13-0 white hot stretch for the Heat; or should I say 13-Okaro? White’s statistics do not jump out, but what did jump out was his hustle on the court, always fighting for extra plays. It’s a role that Udonis Haslem embodied for a decade+ of his career, and White brought it back into a rejuvenated form during his time with the Heat. He made the squad work harder with his work ethic. Same goes for Willie Reed, only that his game is much more polished than Okaro White’s, and has served as a very valuable backup to Hassan Whiteside. His dynamic playstyle fits well in Spoelstra’s mold, and his development is something to watch as he progresses. Rodney McGruder is another one of those players who goes underappreciated: as a rookie, his play is deserving of ROY conversation, albeit in a weakest rookie class in the recent years. His advanced value places 2nd behind only Joel Embiid among rookies, and has been an efficient outside shooter for the Heat, something that was lacking in the 2 most recent squads. His defense makes Justise Winslow almost expendable, as his scavenger-hustle style of play is the epitome of Spoelstra’s defense. Without these three rookies, it is hard to say where the Miami Heat would be at the present.

Miami has been blessed with good health in the 23-5 stretch, almost as if fortune took pity on them from the Chris Bosh situation. They were riddled with injuries to start the season, with Whiteside, Ellington, Richardson, McRoberts, Waiters, and Winslow all either out for extended periods of time or out for season. At one point, over half the daily rotation players were injured, which forced the Heat to experiment with new combinations, use reserves more, and call up D-Leaguers, all coming with the sacrifice of rhythm and chemistry. Once the injured players, outside of Winslow, came back into form, Spoelstra was able to utilize his players in the most efficient lineups possible, which coincided with the wins on the court.

Shooting has also seen an uptick in both attempts and efficiency during this run. The offense, once in the bottom in nearly every category, suddenly ranks solidly in the top half of the league. Shooting efficiency went up from 29th to 6th , and shot attempts and percentage from the 3 point range all have increased from 23rd and 28th to 5th and 1st in the second half, respectively. Assists are also up by 2 per game as well from the efficient ball movement. As a result, they have scored less than 100 points only 4 times out of the last 28 games, and scored over 110 points 9 times, good for almost 110 points per game. They are scoring almost 10 more points than what they did during the disastrous stretch, as a result, they are able to win the close games and put distance in the margin of victory. On games decided by less than 2 possessions, they were 3-8 in the first half. They are 4-1 in this half. This speaks to a nagging problem that the Heat had: they were able to keep a good chunk of the games close, but could not finish the opposition off. This problem has been remedied by the efficient shooting, and the emergence of leaders within this locker room.

Specifically, I’m pointing to the White Dragon (Dragic) and Kobe Wade (Waiters)’s 7-Eleven, and the Great White Shark (Whiteside) in the locker room. Dragic and Whiteside, as great players they are, have been role players in Miami Heat jerseys until now, under the shadow of Wade and Bosh. Waiters was underutilized in his Cleveland and Oklahoma City days. No one really took the charge in the beginning of the season either, as they often deferred to one another in segmented, incoherent play. However, they now lead the high-octane onslaught offense that I’ve described in the previous paragraph. Specifically, Waiters and Dragic’s combined usage rate exceeds 54.9%, up from 51% before, and they have taken about 3 more shots combined. While Whiteside’s usage rate has diminished to 4th in the team, behind 7-Eleven and James Johnson, his production is nearly identical, which is a testament to his efficiency improvements and willingness to give up stat-padding for wins. 7-Eleven has been also draining shots at an efficient rate, with Dragic hitting well over 52% overall and Waiters over 46% overall as well. Outside of their play, they have been leading by example, becoming the epitomes of Spoelstra basketball mantra of toughness and resiliency. Just look at the Dragon: he’s relentless in his drive to the basket, taking shots as they come, and injuries are like nuisances. Lose some teeth? No big deal. Get clocked in the eye? He’ll play through it. Waiters is living up to his self-anointed nickname of Kobe Wade, draining game-ending daggers to the opposition’s hopes and dreams, and proving his worth as a player. Whiteside overwhelms the opposition with his physical prowess and growing finesse. They have left people saying “Wade who?”, slowly burying the pain of Wade’s departure in their play.

All those “white hot” jerseys and promotions in the past and present are quite fitting: the Heat are quite literally untouchable, burning every opponent who dares to encroach on their territory. Imagine facing a dragon, great white shark, and the love-child of Kobe and Wade all in the same team, along with a dangerous supporting cast: the prospect of facing them in the playoffs is scary. The exciting post-Wade era of the Miami Heat franchise has now officially begun—or has it?

Miami-Wade County Once More? Yes, Yes, Yes!

Consider this an extension of the previous article about the Heat.

It’s no fun writing about topics without making a bold prediction, now, is it?

I’m predicting that Dwyane Wade will put aside differences between him and Riley, and come back to Miami next season to play as the clutch 6th man for the up-and-coming squad.

The main reason that drove Wade out of Miami was his wish to play for his beloved hometown, Chicago, and get the respect that he felt that he deserved, which admittedly had been lacking throughout his career with the Heat. The only problem is that he really hasn’t gotten the love or the respect that he thought he would get from the franchise. The Bulls were supposed to be the challengers to Lebron’s Cavs in the East this season, under the leadership of the new threesome of Wade, Butler, and Rondo. They haven’t nearly lived up to the hype; they’re even last in their conference and out of playoffs if the season ended today. There has been tension between the trio, with Rondo’s outspoken comments about the team and Butler’s unwillingness to lead critically maiming this squad. What’s even worse is Wade’s play this season: this has been his worst season since his rookie season, and the honeymoon love between Wade and Chicago had long since faded before Wade went down with a season ending injury to his elbow. He simply hasn’t played at a level that would merit his 2 year/$47 million contract.

What was supposed to be his resurgence has backfired in a major way. It is only logical to assume that Wade is thinking about his future in Chicago, specifically whether to opt out of the 2nd year of his contract or not.

Here is when things start to get interesting for the Miami Heat. After this season, they have commitments of $66 million to Dragic, Whiteside, T. Johnson, McRoberts, Ellington, Winslow, White, Richardson, and McGruder.

The cap committed is already quite sizeable, with the team potentially looking to lock up James Johnson and almost surely Udonis Haslem. However, the salary cap is also projected to rise above $100 million next season. Factor in Chris Bosh’s monster contract almost surely being resolved through the medical exemption, and the Heat suddenly have almost $40 million to spend next offseason, an astonishing number to lure high-tier free agents.

Wade’s confidence and value have taken hits; his play cannot back the talks of meriting more than $20 million per year in his next contract. It is almost certain that no team will give him $20 million per year, and thus, Wade will likely settle for about $12-$15 million per year, which is surely within Heat’s budget and then some. If Tyler Johnson’s backloaded contract (and maaaybe McRoberts’s contract too, though it is a wishful thinking) is unloaded to a team (well hello there, Brooklyn), they have $45+ million this year and over $60 million next year to spend. The Heat can go sign Wade AND go after another major name, say Blake Griffin at the PF or Gordon Hayward at the SF spot, both of whom Riley has insinuated that he will go after—now that team packs a mean punch.

More you look at it, more you realize that Wade almost has no choice to come back home to Miami. The revamped Miami Heat squad with Dragic, Waiters, either one of Hayward or Griffin, and Whiteside in the starting lineup, along with a youthful supporting class of McGruder, Richardson, Winslow, Reed, and White spearheaded by Wade is no doubt a top-2 team in the East and a legitimate title contender. That, and the sizeable money that he will get are alone enough incentives to join the Heat. Ego won’t be an issue, as Wade has to understand, by now, that his body is failing him, and that a reduced role will help extend his career. He knows that the day that he takes a backseat is coming, and that day is coming fast.

If that wasn’t enough of a reason, you only have to be a casual NBA fan to understand what Miami means to Wade and what Wade means to Miami: you cannot talk about one without the other. Wade has an emotional attachment to the County he had built in Miami; Miami shares the same sentiment too. It’s not just an attachment either: Miami is his home; Miami Heat is his basketball family. Riley and Wade can surely get over their differences and recreate the fruitful relationship they shared in the past. At this point in the career, Wade understands that neither money nor playing time is an issue, especially after the fiasco in Chicago. It’s all about creating a lasting legacy in the league, and his legacy is the Miami Heat, the Miami Heat that he had made ever since he was drafted by them in 2003. So, Dwyane, if you’re reading this article written by an avid Heat fan, please come back to your real home and family in Miami. I am sure that Miami-Dade County can once more be Miami-Wade County—this time for good.

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